But here's how I see it. The claim that Yu-na Kim has some sort of magic power over the judges is so absurd on its face that it hardly bears discussion. What is the theory? That Brian Orser bribed David Dore to offer the Lithuanian judge an appointment to an ISU committee if she inflated Kim's scores?

As for Mai Asada, I m not losing too much sleep over what she says or doesn't say about her sister's rival. If it were my baby sister I'd have something to say, too.

“What kind of society is this, where you’re afraid to appoint your nephew or your son or your relative, for fear of what might be said?!?” Chicago’s Richard J. Daley (father of the present mayor) famously screamed at his City Council. That must be the only omission from this book, whose author surveys three thousand years of anecdotal cases about the generational continuity of power and influence

But being on your sibling's side doesn't mean that one has to make negative remarks about your sibling's rival. You can support your sibling by talking about how great they are, not by putting down their rivals.

Look at Sarah Hughes. Sarah Hughes never made even the slightest question about whether or not Michelle Kwan deserved to go to the Olympics in 2006. And I think actually that part of the reason that she never made such a comment was that she knew the Michelle Kwan fans would never forgive her. Of course Sarah would be biased for Emily, but it wouldn't have been appropriate for her to, for example, question whether or not Michelle Kwan was really healthy and capable of being competitive at the Olympics, because the beneficiary, if the question was debated and the answer was no, was Emily.

Eh I still maintain that fans are making a mountain out of a mole hill. I'm sorry, but Mai's comment just didn't bother me that much. I don't think it's terrible to say that judges like Yuna or her skating and how that might influence the scores. We say stuff like this all the time on GS, so why is a big deal that Mai say the same thing?

She wasn't brought on as a skating analyst. The conversation was clearly lighthearted, it's not like Mai was saying "Yuna is over scored! How dare they." Sure she could have gone into a big analysis about the scores, but clearly that wasn't the place for it.

And I don't really see it as Mai politicking for Mao. Quite frankly, Mao doesn't need it since, as numerous posters have pointed out here, she's still winning competitions with just three triples or whatever.

And the big scheme of things, I doubt Mai's comments will matter that much.

Ok, let's chill out and get back on topic and STOP INSULTING EACH OTHER AND OTHER CULTURES. How hard is it to stick to the topic. It's just desperate when you bring in childish insults. Posts have been unapproved and if this behavior continues warnings and infractions will be issued. Get back on topic, folks. If there's any confusion, review the guidelines.

Since it seems that the mods deleted my last post, I'll say again that I'm sorry if I've aroused any problems here. Maybe I should've stuck only to translating the video and not mention any personal thoughts on that matter.

Anyways, it's hard to predict how Sochi will end up not just now; both Yuna and Mao seems to have their weak points, not to mention there are lots of other ladies who have better skills and artistry since Vancouver. But I do think Yuna came back in quite good shape, and will get better by next season. All the same can be said for Mao I assume, but IMHO she would have to get her 3-3 or 3A back in order to beat Yuna. She intends to get either or both of them back by Worlds this season according to interviews, but I'm not sure if she can manage them perfectly so soon. At this point, I have to admit that Yuna may be top candidate for winning Worlds, as she does have the best toe-jumps to say the least. The only thing which bothers me is that she's skipping 4CC...it would've been a perfect chance for her to get used to intl competitions once again. I suppose she wanted to spend her time practicing rather than entering 4CC, but jumping off to Worlds seems a bit risky even with her high techs. I know Yuna is a gutsy gal, and she's very strong mentally, but some of the mistakes she made in the past 2 competitions are probabaly the results of her absence. That's why I'm not certain whether skipping 4CC is the right choice for her...your thoughts?

Since it seems that the mods deleted my last post, I'll say again that I'm sorry if I've aroused any problems here. Maybe I should've stuck only to translating the video and not mention any personal thoughts on that matter.

Anyways, it's hard to predict how Sochi will end up not just now; both Yuna and Mao seems to have their weak points, not to mention there are lots of other ladies who have better skills and artistry since Vancouver. But I do think Yuna came back in quite good shape, and will get better by next season. All the same can be said for Mao I assume, but IMHO she would have to get her 3-3 or 3A back in order to beat Yuna. She intends to get either or both of them back by Worlds this season according to interviews, but I'm not sure if she can manage them perfectly so soon. At this point, I have to admit that Yuna may be top candidate for winning Worlds, as she does have the best toe-jumps to say the least. The only thing which bothers me is that she's skipping 4CC...it would've been a perfect chance for her to get used to intl competitions once again. I suppose she wanted to spend her time practicing rather than entering 4CC, but jumping off to Worlds seems a bit risky even with her high techs. I know Yuna is a gutsy gal, and she's very strong mentally, but some of the mistakes she made in the past 2 competitions are probabaly the results of her absence. That's why I'm not certain whether skipping 4CC is the right choice for her...your thoughts?

Your original post (the translation) is still there.

Don't feel bad about expressing your opinion. But my general policy, and it makes my life easier, is not to talk about the boards or other posters but just stick to the topic at hand. That way I don't have to worry about accidentally attacking posters. (Tonichelle, I also appreciate your efforts to moderate the conversation as well!).

Anyway, going back to your point.

I'm also not sure what Yuna has to gain by skipping out on 4CC. The competition is in Osaka, so it's not like she would have to make some big trip to compete. I think it would be a great tune-up for her and a good chance to face the top Japanese skaters at least once before Worlds. Also it would be good to get some feedback before Worlds too. (Of course, I'm not sure how much feedback she got at NRW. I know that judges give extensive feedback at GPF and the such; is similar feedback available at a competition at NRW?).

Don't feel bad about expressing your opinion. But my general policy, and it makes my life easier, is not to talk about the boards or other posters but just stick to the topic at hand. That way I don't have to worry about accidentally attacking posters. (Tonichelle, I also appreciate your efforts to moderate the conversation as well!).

Anyway, going back to your point.

I'm also not sure what Yuna has to gain by skipping out on 4CC. The competition is in Osaka, so it's not like she would have to make some big trip to compete. I think it would be a great tune-up for her and a good chance to face the top Japanese skaters at least once before Worlds. Also it would be good to get some feedback before Worlds too. (Of course, I'm not sure how much feedback she got at NRW. I know that judges give extensive feedback at GPF and the such; is similar feedback available at a competition at NRW?).

Thanks for your kind words Mrs.P, and yes I'm aware that my translation post is still here; thank you mods!

I don't have a clue if similar feedback is given in B-intls as in GFP....In the first place, some say B-intl scores are known to be a bit generous and it's unofficial anyway, but I personally think they can't be totally ignored either. Esp since they set the minimum score rule, more and more top skaters will be entering B-intls. I used to think that B-intls were scored generously in order to sort of encourage future top skaters and feedbacks would be given accordingly, but if you're already one of the top I don't think they'd bother to do that. However, I do think the judges tend to score a performance based on relative value, comparing them with other performances in the same competition. So, when you have a top class skater in a B-intl, I assume it will be easier for them to get higher scores than in major intl competitions which makes it seem like the skater's already doing fine in most elements. I'm against this cause I think that judged sport should always be based on absolute scales. If they do not judge according to absolute scales, in theory we can never compare scores amongst different competitions. But from all I've seen in the past, most judges do not seem to care less about scoring on absolute scales, so I'm not even sure if they give proper feedback in any competitions to be honest.

OTOH, while Yuna is skipping 4CC, Akiko is entering another national competition! I have never heard of a Jpnse skater enter 2 GPS, Finals, Nats, 4CC and Worlds along with this particular national competition which really doesn't have much status. I think it's too much for her. Akiko's case is totally like the opposite of Yuna's. I guess we'll just have to see whether entering as many competitions as possible or entering as less competitions as possible beforehand is better when competing at Worlds. I'm quite sure that unless Yuna messes up big time she'll rank higher than Akiko anyways, but which of them will be able to perform up to their full potential at Worlds is the thing I'm really interested in.

Well, I heard Yuna would not be able to take part in 4CC since she was already scheduled to attend an important event on the same day or the period, the Special Olympics, perhaps? So it is not that she decided not to compete there.

As for Sochi I think it is no longer about Yuna and Mao. I can now see more than two contenders in ladies field. Sure, Yuna is a front runner as of now but younger skaters are coming to the front as well. Russia has Liza, Adelina and Julia to name a few, Canada has Kaetlyn and America has GG. Ashley will be there and I cannot overlook Carolina, Akiko, Mirai or Kanako. All of them have potential of either maturing or declining (due to their age) by the time. 2013-2014 will be so exciting for FS fans!

As for Yuna and Mao, I cannot tell who is a better skater and find it less important to cut one out. Yuna has a great Lutz and her expressions are beautiful to watch while Mao has grown up to be more all-around skater. I enjoy both of them though I prefer Mao’s airy skating. Some may suspect she has lost her jumps and no longer belongs to the elite group, but to me she seems to be on a right track. She is getting her jumps back.

I heard she was planning to put 3A in her short program, possibly in 4CC. It would be a risky strategy if her ultimate goal were to win the World this year. Since I do not think it is, I would say “go for it” if 3A is what motivates her best. My, this girl can never stop aiming at improving herself!

Akiko attended Kokutai, the national sports fest, last year too? As 4CC is in Japan and there will be no competition for her at all in the event, I think she takes it as another opportunity to skate in a competitive but less tensive atmosphere? Hopefully she was not forced to attend it by her federation. I am looking forward to seeing her skate both programs clean!

Not strictly "cultural", or probably that's not the super right word to use. In short- let's say Vasya Solovjov, a Russian TV sport commentator (who is also famous for talking crap), would say "Judges like Yuna", I am more than sure no one of Yuna fans would bother to notice that or comment him on forums. While Mai is another story. Because she is : 1. Japanese, 2. Mao's sister.

Not strictly "cultural", or probably that's not the super right word to use. In short- let's say Vasya Solovjov, a Russian TV sport commentator (who is also famous for talking crap), would say "Judges like Yuna", I am more than sure no one of Yuna fans would bother to notice that or comment him on forums. While Mai is another story. Because she is : 1. Japanese, 2. Mao's sister.

That was a Japanese show aired by Japanese TV. The majority of its viewers were Japanese FS fans. Mai was the one who was put into a difficult situation, where she could make one side happy and the other unhappy. So she just chose to make herself look like an idiot who cannot tell the system of scoring, then went to bring the question to an end, in a very friendly manner, by saying that she would better not make any further comment on it. I think she handled it fair enough.

I found the translation Laughing Man offered is accurate and her explanation about Japanese language is too. Woops it is gone? But my take goes with Laughing Man. I thought she meant that Judges appreciate what Yuna does on ice and place a high value on it. Well, Mai did not say she was satisfied with it. Some could take it as if she implied she had been dissatisfied with it, but who knows? She did not say it either. Since it is up to viewers mind set how to take what is unsaid (due to a nature of Japanese language), I am afraid this argument would go no where near an agreement. So I find it better for both sides to get over from it and move on.

BTW upon Yuna's comeback I saw many reports that showed her great 3-3 and other clean jumps (and no falls). Most of the reports said that she was very impressive in both of the competitions and that she would be the strongest contender for Sochi. Japanese media sucks and they may obsesse about Yuna a little too much, but most times they are fair on Yuna, or..at least they are not mean to her.

I am sorry, Mods, if I went against the rules of this forum by getting back to the controversial topic. If that is the case, please feel free to delete this post. Thanks.